US20030201123A1 - Electrical connector pad assembly for printed circuit board - Google Patents
Electrical connector pad assembly for printed circuit board Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20030201123A1 US20030201123A1 US10/135,132 US13513202A US2003201123A1 US 20030201123 A1 US20030201123 A1 US 20030201123A1 US 13513202 A US13513202 A US 13513202A US 2003201123 A1 US2003201123 A1 US 2003201123A1
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- pad
- connector
- hole
- connector pad
- circuit board
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K1/00—Printed circuits
- H05K1/02—Details
- H05K1/11—Printed elements for providing electric connections to or between printed circuits
- H05K1/115—Via connections; Lands around holes or via connections
- H05K1/116—Lands, clearance holes or other lay-out details concerning the surrounding of a via
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K1/00—Printed circuits
- H05K1/02—Details
- H05K1/0213—Electrical arrangements not otherwise provided for
- H05K1/0216—Reduction of cross-talk, noise or electromagnetic interference
- H05K1/0218—Reduction of cross-talk, noise or electromagnetic interference by printed shielding conductors, ground planes or power plane
- H05K1/0219—Printed shielding conductors for shielding around or between signal conductors, e.g. coplanar or coaxial printed shielding conductors
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K1/00—Printed circuits
- H05K1/02—Details
- H05K1/0213—Electrical arrangements not otherwise provided for
- H05K1/0216—Reduction of cross-talk, noise or electromagnetic interference
- H05K1/0218—Reduction of cross-talk, noise or electromagnetic interference by printed shielding conductors, ground planes or power plane
- H05K1/0219—Printed shielding conductors for shielding around or between signal conductors, e.g. coplanar or coaxial printed shielding conductors
- H05K1/0222—Printed shielding conductors for shielding around or between signal conductors, e.g. coplanar or coaxial printed shielding conductors for shielding around a single via or around a group of vias, e.g. coaxial vias or vias surrounded by a grounded via fence
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K2201/00—Indexing scheme relating to printed circuits covered by H05K1/00
- H05K2201/09—Shape and layout
- H05K2201/09209—Shape and layout details of conductors
- H05K2201/09372—Pads and lands
- H05K2201/09381—Shape of non-curved single flat metallic pad, land or exposed part thereof; Shape of electrode of leadless component
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K2201/00—Indexing scheme relating to printed circuits covered by H05K1/00
- H05K2201/09—Shape and layout
- H05K2201/09209—Shape and layout details of conductors
- H05K2201/095—Conductive through-holes or vias
- H05K2201/09618—Via fence, i.e. one-dimensional array of vias
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K2201/00—Indexing scheme relating to printed circuits covered by H05K1/00
- H05K2201/09—Shape and layout
- H05K2201/09209—Shape and layout details of conductors
- H05K2201/09654—Shape and layout details of conductors covering at least two types of conductors provided for in H05K2201/09218 - H05K2201/095
- H05K2201/09718—Clearance holes
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K2201/00—Indexing scheme relating to printed circuits covered by H05K1/00
- H05K2201/09—Shape and layout
- H05K2201/09209—Shape and layout details of conductors
- H05K2201/09654—Shape and layout details of conductors covering at least two types of conductors provided for in H05K2201/09218 - H05K2201/095
- H05K2201/09809—Coaxial layout
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K3/00—Apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits
- H05K3/40—Forming printed elements for providing electric connections to or between printed circuits
- H05K3/42—Plated through-holes or plated via connections
- H05K3/429—Plated through-holes specially for multilayer circuits, e.g. having connections to inner circuit layers
Definitions
- the present invention relates generally to electrical connections, and more particularly to an electrical connector assembly for a printed circuit board.
- connectors exist to facilitate mounting components to circuit boards and to establish electrical interconnections therebetween.
- One such type of connector is a subminiature connector assembly.
- Subminiature connector assemblies are integrated atop circuit boards and are generally utilized to connect a cable, such as a coaxial cable, to circuit boards.
- Such connectors are commonly referred to as SMA, SMB or SMC connectors to designate operation of the subminiature connectors in different frequencies (e.g., of about 18, 4 and 10 GHz, respectively).
- FIG. 1 illustrates a top view or footprint of a conventional subminiature connector assembly 100 (e.g., SMA, SMB, SMC) that may be integrated onto a circuit board.
- the connector assembly 100 includes a central through-hole or via 104 , which is surrounded by an arrangement of associated vias 108 .
- the vias provide passages that allow corresponding leads (or pins) to pass therethrough to facilitate electrical connections and component mounting to the circuit board.
- the four perimeter vias 108 of the connector 100 typically facilitate a connection to ground, whereas the central hole 104 provides for connecting a central conductor to a power source or other associated circuitry.
- Respective connector pads 114 , 118 surround each of the throughholes.
- the connector pads are conductive material disposed usually on top and/or on bottom of the circuit board.
- a circuit board generally comprises several layers that lie below the connector assembly 100 illustrated in FIG. 1. Such layers include conductive elements, such as conductive traces (e.g., associated with power and/or ground planes), as well as nonconductive material (e.g., dielectric material). Dielectric layers are typically situated between conductive layers to electrically separate the layers. With reference back to FIG. 1, for example, a dielectric layer typically is positioned between the central connector pad 114 and an associated power or ground layer. Such an arrangement, however, often leads to capacitive charging, which can significantly degrade the intended operation and performance of the circuitry associated with the circuit board.
- conductive elements such as conductive traces (e.g., associated with power and/or ground planes)
- nonconductive material e.g., dielectric material
- a capacitor consists of two opposed conducting plates separated by an insulating material or dielectric.
- the resulting capacitance is directly proportional to the surface areas of the opposed plates, and is inversely proportional to the distance between the plates.
- capacitive build up can result. This effect tends to occur more readily at high frequencies, such as those frequencies within which subminiature connectors usually operate.
- the present invention relates generally to a connector pad includes projections extending outwardly from an inner portion of the pad to help stabilize and reinforce the pad and an associated through-hole.
- the added stability allows the radial thickness of an inner portion of the pad to be reduced relative to other connection pads that may be part of the board. This decreases the surface area of the pad and reduces the opportunity for capacitive build up to occur relative to an associated conductive plane in a circuit board.
- the circuit board can include an anti-pad layer in substantially the same plane as the conductive plane, which anti-pad provides a clearance area around the through-hole that can be increased to further separate the pad from the underlying conductive layer.
- the increase in separation between the pad and the conductive layer further mitigates the opportunity for capacitive build up to occur.
- FIG. 1 illustrates a top view of a footprint of a prior art subminiature connector pad assembly.
- FIG. 2 illustrates a top view of a connector pad assembly according to an aspect of the present invention.
- FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of an intermediate circuit board layer for use with a connector pad assembly according to an aspect of the present invention.
- FIG. 4 illustrates a cross sectional side view of a circuit board that includes a connector pad according to an aspect of the present invention.
- FIG. 5 illustrates a cross sectional side view of a circuit board that includes a connector pad according to another aspect of the present invention.
- FIG. 6 illustrates a top view of a connector pad assembly according to an aspect of the present invention.
- FIG. 7 illustrates a top view of a connector pad assembly according to an aspect of the present invention.
- FIG. 8 illustrates a top view of a connector pad assembly according to an aspect of the present invention.
- FIG. 9 illustrates a graph representing impedance associated with a trace coupled to a conventional connector pad assembly.
- FIG. 10 illustrates a graph representing impedance associated with a trace coupled to a connector pad assembly according to an aspect of the present invention.
- a connector pad includes projections extending radially outwardly from an inner portion of the pad to help stabilize and reinforce the pad.
- the added stability allows the radial thickness of an inner portion of the pad to be reduced. This helps mitigate capacitive build up that tends to occur between the connector pad and an associated conductive plane in a circuit board.
- the circuit board can include an anti-pad layer in substantially the same plane as the conductive plane, which anti-pad provides a clearance area around the through-hole that can be increased to further separate the pad from the underlying conductive layer. The increase in separation between the pad and the conductive layer further mitigates the opportunity for capacitive build up to occur.
- FIG. 2 illustrates a top view of a subminiature connector pad assembly 200 according to one or more aspects of the present invention.
- the assembly 200 includes a central through-hole or via 204 surrounded by a plurality of through-holes or vias 208 .
- the through-holes 204 , 208 are dimensioned and configured to receive respective male leads (or pins) to facilitate electrical connections and component mounting relative to a circuit board upon which the assembly 200 is integrated.
- the through-holes define passages, which may be lined with a conductive material (not shown) to promote desired electrical connections.
- the holes 208 near the perimeter of the assembly 200 usually facilitate a connection to ground.
- the central hole 204 provides an active connection for a central male conductor lead to associated circuitry.
- the assembly 200 also includes connector pads 214 , 218 associated around respective through-holes 204 , 208 .
- the pads 214 , 218 are generally coplanar, such as situated on a top and/or bottom surface of the circuit board, although the pads could be located at different layers of the board.
- the pads 214 , 218 are made of an electrically conductive material, such as aluminum, copper, an alloy, or the like.
- the pads 214 , 218 facilitate electrical connections to circuit components as well as with other layers in the circuit board.
- the conductive lining along cylindrical sidewalls of the through-holes 204 , 208 usually are formed of the same material as the connector pads 214 , 218 , and can be integrally formed with the connector pads.
- the connector pad 214 associated with the central through-hole 204 includes a plurality of projections 224 extending radially outwardly from an annular inner disc portion 234 of the pad.
- the projections 224 are arranged in a generally circular array about the through-hole 204 .
- the inner disc portion 234 of the central connector pad 214 has a radial thickness, indicated at 244 , which is defined by the difference between an inner radius 254 and an outer radius 264 of the inner disc portion 234 .
- the inner edge of the disc portion 234 is arranged substantially coaxially relative to the through-hole 204 .
- the projections 224 reinforce and provide stability to the through-hole and pad relative to the circuit board.
- this arrangement enables the radial thickness of the pad 214 at its inner disc portion 234 to be reduced when compared relative to conventional pads.
- its radial thickness 244 is depicted as being less than that of the other pads 218 of the assembly 200 and less than conventional central connector pads surrounding central through-holes (e.g., as shown in FIG. 1).
- the projections 224 are depicted as generally triangularly shaped members spaced circumferentially about the inner disc portion 234 .
- the pad 214 has a generally star-shaped configuration and thus may be referred to herein as a star-pad configuration. It is to be understood and appreciated, however, that there can be any number of projections and that the projections can have any shape. Examples of some alternative arrangements for pad projections, in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention, are shown and described herein with respect to FIGS. 6 - 8 .
- inner and outer edges of the inner disc portion 234 are shown as being substantially circular, other shapes (e.g., elliptical, polygonal, etc.) also could be employed to provide a connector pad in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention.
- a conductive trace 270 is connected to the central connector pad 214 .
- the conductive trace 270 is connected to an end of one of the projections 224 of the pad 214 .
- the trace 270 can be formed the same (or different) electrically conductive material as the central connector pad 214 .
- a length 272 of the trace 270 near the connection to the pad 214 has an increased width relative to a portion 276 of the trace 270 distal the connector pad 214 .
- the increased width at 276 of the trace 270 provides increased line impedance in the wider portion to compensate for the effects of an enlarged non-conductive underlying anti-pad (not shown) located on a different planar layer of the circuit board.
- the anti-pad provides a nonconductive clearance area between a conductive layer and the central through-hole according to one or more aspects of the present invention.
- the line impedance of the trace 270 is measured relative to a conductive plane (e.g. a ground or power plane). Since, as will be discussed in greater detail below, the conductive plane can be positioned away from the central through-hole 204 by increasing a clearance area, known as the anti-pad, around the through-hole 214 , the width of the line is thus increased to compensate for absence of the ground (or power plane) beneath the trace 270 . For example, to maintain a desired substantially constant line impedance of about a 50 O, the width of the trace 270 may be increased by a factor of about two (e.g., about two-times as wide) near the connection to the pad 214 .
- a conductive plane e.g. a ground or power plane
- the reduced radial thickness 244 of the inner disc portion 234 reduces the surface area of the central connector pad 214 , thus decreasing the capacitance that can develop between the pad 214 and underlying conductive layers (e.g., ground and/or power layers).
- the added stability provided by the projections also allows the radial thickness of the associated non-conductive anti-pad (not shown), to be enlarged so as to position the conductive material away from the through-hole 204 .
- the connector assembly enables improved electrical performance with desired structural integrity for component mounting.
- FIG. 3 illustrates an example of another layer 300 of a circuit board that includes an anti-pad 302 according to one or more aspects of the present invention.
- the layer 300 includes the anti-pad 302 and a co-planar or adjacent layer of conductive material 306 .
- the layer 300 may form an intermediate layer of a circuit board that lies one or more layers beneath the layer 200 illustrated in FIG. 2.
- the anti-pad 302 circumscribes a central through-hole 304 .
- the anti-pad 302 corresponds to an insulating layer (e.g., of a dielectric material) that separates the conductive material 306 (e.g., power or ground layer) from the central through-hole 304 .
- the anti-pad 302 extends radially outwardly from a location at (or near) the through-hole 304 to an outer radial extent to provide a radial thickness 308 .
- the radial thickness of the anti-pad 302 corresponds to the difference between an inner radius 310 and an outer radius 312 of the anti-pad 302 .
- the radial thickness 308 of the anti-pad 302 is at least equal to the radial thickness of an overlying central connector pad, including its projections (e.g., the central pad 214 of FIG. 2).
- the anti-pad 302 can have an outer radius 312 between that of the outer extent of projections of an overlying central connector pad up to a radius that intersects with peripheral through-holes 314 , which are arranged about the central through-hole 304 .
- the anti-pad 302 Since the anti-pad 302 surrounds the through-hole 304 at a conductive layer of the circuit board, the anti-pad 302 positions the co-planar conductive material away from an overlying central connector pad according to the radial thickness of the anti-pad. This relationship can be seen better with reference to FIG. 4.
- the anti-pad 302 is formed of a non-conductive material and, as such, acts as a shield electrically isolating the conductive layer 306 from an overlying central connector pad. In so doing, the anti-pad mitigates capacitive build up between these layers, and does so to a greater degree as its radial thickness 308 increases.
- the through-holes 304 , 314 are substantially coaxial with and define part of the same cylindrical passages through a circuit board as the respective through-holes 204 , 208 shown and described with respect to FIG. 2. That is, the holes 304 , 314 are dimensioned and configured to align with the holes in other layers of the board to facilitate insertion and/or removal of male leads or pins of circuit components, such as connectors. It is to be appreciated that the throughholes 304 , 314 are also typically lined with a conductive material (not shown) to promote electrical connections.
- FIG. 4 illustrates a cross sectional side view of part of a circuit board 400 that includes layers subminiature connector pad assembly corresponding to those depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3 according to one or more aspects of the present invention.
- the circuit board 400 includes a central through-hole 404 and peripheral through-holes 408 .
- a central connector pad 410 is disposed atop a dielectric layer 412 , which itself rests on a conductive layer 416 (e.g., ground or power).
- a conductive layer 416 e.g., ground or power
- the connector pad 410 includes projections 418 that extend outwardly from an inner disc portion of the pad 410 .
- the inner portion of the central connector pad 410 has a radial thickness 420 , which is less than the radial thickness of central connector pads of conventional subminiature connector assemblies (e.g., see FIG. 1).
- the through-holes 404 , 408 extend entirely through the board 400 , buy may extend to any degree as is necessary to implement the desired functioning of the circuit board and components mounted thereon.
- a cylindrical body of electrically conductive material extends through the respective through-holes to define a sidewall of the respective holes.
- the electrically conductive material facilitates electrical connections relative to pins that are inserted into the through-holes.
- a cylindrical sidewall 422 of the central through-hole is formed of an electrically conductive material that extends through the central through-hole 404 .
- the cylindrical sidewall 422 interconnects the connector pads 410 at opposite surfaces of the board 400 .
- the connector pads 410 and the sidewall 422 can be formed of an integral piece of the conductive material.
- the board 400 also includes an anti-pad 424 associated with the electrically conductive layer 416 of the board.
- the anti-pad 424 electrically insulates the central through-hole 404 and its associated conductive sidewall 422 from the conductive layer 416 . That is, the anti-pad 424 provides a clearance area between the through-hole and the conductive plane 416 .
- the radial thickness 426 of the anti-pad 424 is about equal to or greater than the radial thickness 420 of the central connector pad 410 . Accordingly, there is no overlap between the connector pad 410 and the conductive layer 416 axially relative to the board, which reduces the opportunity for capacitance to develop between the pad 410 and conductive layer 416 .
- FIG. 5 illustrates another cross sectional side view of part of a circuit board 500 configured according to one or more aspects of the present invention.
- the illustrated portion of the connector pad assembly in FIG. 5 is substantially similar to that of FIG. 4, with identical reference numbers increased by adding 100 being used to refer to parts of the circuit board previously identified with respect to FIG. 4.
- the radial thickness 526 of the anti-pad 524 is shown as being larger than the anti-pad 424 of FIG. 4.
- the anti-pad 524 extends generally from the central through-hole 504 radially to a location near a peripheral through-hole 508 .
- the increased thickness provides increased electrical isolation between the associated ground or power plane 516 and the central connector pad 510 , thereby further mitigating capacitance between the connector pad 510 and the conductive plane 516 .
- This arrangement further separates the conductive plane 516 from the central through hole 504 .
- FIG. 6 illustrates an alternative example of a subminiature connector pad assembly 600 in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.
- a central connector pad 602 includes a plurality of generally triangular projections 604 and 606 extending radially from an inner disc portion 608 of the central connector pad.
- Some of the triangular projections 604 and 606 have different dimensions. For instance, some of the projections 604 are shorter, while other projections 606 are relatively thinner and longer (e.g., when compared relative to those illustrated in FIG. 2). Thus, it is to be appreciated that the projections of a connector pad 602 need not be of a constant length of width.
- the projections 604 , 606 stabilize the central connector pad 602 for component mounting and allow the inner disc portion 608 to have a smaller radial thickness, indicated at 610 , than that of conventional central connector pads (e.g., see FIG. 1).
- An underlying anti-pad 612 (shown in phantom) also has a radial thickness that is larger than that of anti-pads underlying conventional subminiature connector assemblies.
- the connector pad assembly 600 can be integrated into a circuit board to establish electrical connections and component mountings thereto.
- the configuration of the connector pad 602 further provides a reduced surface area to facilitate separating associated conductive layers, thereby mitigating capacitive effects
- FIG. 7 illustrates another example of a subminiature connector pad assembly 700 that can be integrated into a circuit board to establish electrical connections and component mountings thereto in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention.
- the assembly 700 includes a connector pad 702 having a plurality of projections 704 extending radially from an inner disc portion 706 of the central connector pad.
- the projections 704 are generally trapezoidal, having an increased width at the end connecting at the inner disc portion 706 and tapering to a reduced width at an end spaced radially from the inner disc portion. It is to be appreciated that the projections can have any configuration and could have rounded rather than pointed corners, for example.
- the projections 704 reinforce the central connector pad 702 allowing the inner disc portion 706 to have a smaller radial thickness 708 than that of conventional central connector pads (e.g., see FIG. 1).
- An underlying anti-pad 710 (shown in phantom) also has a radial thickness that is larger than that of anti-pads underlying conventional subminiature connector assemblies.
- FIG. 8 illustrates yet another example of a subminiature connector assembly 800 that can be integrated into a circuit board to establish electrical connections and component mountings thereto according to one or more aspects of the present invention.
- the assembly 800 includes a central connector pad 802 having projections 804 extending radially from an inner disc portion 806 of the central pad.
- the projections 806 have a generally rectangular configuration.
- the radial projections 804 extending from the central connector pad 802 help stabilize the pad 802 and the associated central through-hole 808 relative to the circuit board. This enables a radial thickness 810 of the pad 802 to be reduced (e.g., from that of conventional pads) while maintaining structural integrity of the pad and through-hole 808 .
- the reduced thickness of the inner disc portion 806 of the pad 802 decreases the surface area of overlapping conductive plates (e.g., the central pad and the ground or power layer), which provides a corresponding reduction in the capacitance between the pad and the associated conductive layer.
- the increased stability afforded by the projections 804 also allows the thickness of the anti-pad 812 (shown in phantom) to be increased.
- the increased thickness 810 of the anti-pad 812 further isolates the ground or power plane from the central pad 814 thereby further mitigating capacitive effects.
- FIGS. 9 and 10 are graphs illustrating impedance (which is a function of capacitance) along respective traces of a circuit board that connect to connector pads of different subminiature connector assemblies.
- the graph 900 in FIG. 9 represents impedance (y-axis) relative to time (x-axis) as a signal moves along a trace connected to a conventional subminiature connector assembly.
- a spike 902 in the plotted signal near the middle of the graph corresponds to an increase in capacitance between the connector pad and an associated ground plane.
- FIG. 10 illustrates a signal response 1000 for a trace on a circuit board that is coupled to a subminiature connector pad according to one or more aspects of the present invention. That is, the signal response depicted in FIG. 10 depicts the impedance along a trace coupled to a connector assembly having central connector pad with a reduced radial thickness and triangular projections, such as illustrated in FIG. 2.
- a comparison between the signal responses of FIGS. 9 and 10 demonstrates that change in the signal (e.g., capacitance) resulting from the interconnection between the trace and connector assembly according to an aspect of the present invention (FIG. 10) is less severe than that for the conventional assembly (FIG. 9).
- a subminiature connector assembly in accordance with an aspect of the present invention provides reduced capacitance and, in turn, enables improved circuit performance. It further will be appreciated that such benefits become more pronounced at signal frequencies above 1 GHZ, which are commonly used in conjunction with SMA, SMB, SMC as well as other types of connectors.
- pads with projections may be utilized with other types of connectors, on both sides of a circuit board and/or on any connection layers to enhance stability and mitigate capacitance.
- the present invention can be utilized with layers that can be repeated and/or have various orders depending upon the configuration and layout of the board to achieve desired results.
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Abstract
A connector pad includes projections extending radially outwardly from an inner portion of the pad to help stabilize and reinforce the pad. The added stability allows the radial thickness of an inner portion of the pad to be reduced. This decreases the surface area of the pad and reduces the opportunity for capacitive build up to occur relative to an associated conductive plane in a circuit board.
Description
- The present invention relates generally to electrical connections, and more particularly to an electrical connector assembly for a printed circuit board.
- Numerous connectors exist to facilitate mounting components to circuit boards and to establish electrical interconnections therebetween. One such type of connector is a subminiature connector assembly. Subminiature connector assemblies are integrated atop circuit boards and are generally utilized to connect a cable, such as a coaxial cable, to circuit boards. Such connectors are commonly referred to as SMA, SMB or SMC connectors to designate operation of the subminiature connectors in different frequencies (e.g., of about 18, 4 and 10 GHz, respectively).
- FIG. 1 illustrates a top view or footprint of a conventional subminiature connector assembly100 (e.g., SMA, SMB, SMC) that may be integrated onto a circuit board. The
connector assembly 100 includes a central through-hole or via 104, which is surrounded by an arrangement of associatedvias 108. The vias provide passages that allow corresponding leads (or pins) to pass therethrough to facilitate electrical connections and component mounting to the circuit board. In the example of FIG. 1, the fourperimeter vias 108 of theconnector 100 typically facilitate a connection to ground, whereas thecentral hole 104 provides for connecting a central conductor to a power source or other associated circuitry.Respective connector pads - A circuit board generally comprises several layers that lie below the
connector assembly 100 illustrated in FIG. 1. Such layers include conductive elements, such as conductive traces (e.g., associated with power and/or ground planes), as well as nonconductive material (e.g., dielectric material). Dielectric layers are typically situated between conductive layers to electrically separate the layers. With reference back to FIG. 1, for example, a dielectric layer typically is positioned between thecentral connector pad 114 and an associated power or ground layer. Such an arrangement, however, often leads to capacitive charging, which can significantly degrade the intended operation and performance of the circuitry associated with the circuit board. - By way of example, it is known that a capacitor consists of two opposed conducting plates separated by an insulating material or dielectric. The resulting capacitance is directly proportional to the surface areas of the opposed plates, and is inversely proportional to the distance between the plates. As such, where a connector pad overlaps or is in close proximity to a conductive layer, and a dielectric layer is interposed therebetween, capacitive build up can result. This effect tends to occur more readily at high frequencies, such as those frequencies within which subminiature connectors usually operate.
- The following presents a simplified summary of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify key/critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
- The present invention relates generally to a connector pad includes projections extending outwardly from an inner portion of the pad to help stabilize and reinforce the pad and an associated through-hole. The added stability allows the radial thickness of an inner portion of the pad to be reduced relative to other connection pads that may be part of the board. This decreases the surface area of the pad and reduces the opportunity for capacitive build up to occur relative to an associated conductive plane in a circuit board.
- According to another aspect of the present invention, the circuit board can include an anti-pad layer in substantially the same plane as the conductive plane, which anti-pad provides a clearance area around the through-hole that can be increased to further separate the pad from the underlying conductive layer. The increase in separation between the pad and the conductive layer further mitigates the opportunity for capacitive build up to occur.
- To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certain illustrative aspects of the invention are described herein in connection with the following description and the annexed drawings. These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed and the present invention is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages and novel features of the invention may become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the drawings.
- FIG. 1 illustrates a top view of a footprint of a prior art subminiature connector pad assembly.
- FIG. 2 illustrates a top view of a connector pad assembly according to an aspect of the present invention.
- FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of an intermediate circuit board layer for use with a connector pad assembly according to an aspect of the present invention.
- FIG. 4 illustrates a cross sectional side view of a circuit board that includes a connector pad according to an aspect of the present invention.
- FIG. 5 illustrates a cross sectional side view of a circuit board that includes a connector pad according to another aspect of the present invention.
- FIG. 6 illustrates a top view of a connector pad assembly according to an aspect of the present invention.
- FIG. 7 illustrates a top view of a connector pad assembly according to an aspect of the present invention.
- FIG. 8 illustrates a top view of a connector pad assembly according to an aspect of the present invention.
- FIG. 9 illustrates a graph representing impedance associated with a trace coupled to a conventional connector pad assembly.
- FIG. 10 illustrates a graph representing impedance associated with a trace coupled to a connector pad assembly according to an aspect of the present invention.
- According to one or more aspects of the present invention, a connector pad includes projections extending radially outwardly from an inner portion of the pad to help stabilize and reinforce the pad. The added stability allows the radial thickness of an inner portion of the pad to be reduced. This helps mitigate capacitive build up that tends to occur between the connector pad and an associated conductive plane in a circuit board. According to another aspect of the present invention, the circuit board can include an anti-pad layer in substantially the same plane as the conductive plane, which anti-pad provides a clearance area around the through-hole that can be increased to further separate the pad from the underlying conductive layer. The increase in separation between the pad and the conductive layer further mitigates the opportunity for capacitive build up to occur.
- FIG. 2 illustrates a top view of a subminiature
connector pad assembly 200 according to one or more aspects of the present invention. Theassembly 200 includes a central through-hole or via 204 surrounded by a plurality of through-holes orvias 208. The through-holes assembly 200 is integrated. The through-holes define passages, which may be lined with a conductive material (not shown) to promote desired electrical connections. Theholes 208 near the perimeter of theassembly 200 usually facilitate a connection to ground. Thecentral hole 204 provides an active connection for a central male conductor lead to associated circuitry. - The
assembly 200 also includesconnector pads holes pads pads pads holes connector pads - In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, the
connector pad 214 associated with the central through-hole 204 includes a plurality ofprojections 224 extending radially outwardly from an annularinner disc portion 234 of the pad. For example, theprojections 224 are arranged in a generally circular array about the through-hole 204. Theinner disc portion 234 of thecentral connector pad 214 has a radial thickness, indicated at 244, which is defined by the difference between aninner radius 254 and anouter radius 264 of theinner disc portion 234. The inner edge of thedisc portion 234 is arranged substantially coaxially relative to the through-hole 204. Theprojections 224 reinforce and provide stability to the through-hole and pad relative to the circuit board. Additionally, this arrangement enables the radial thickness of thepad 214 at itsinner disc portion 234 to be reduced when compared relative to conventional pads. For example, itsradial thickness 244 is depicted as being less than that of theother pads 218 of theassembly 200 and less than conventional central connector pads surrounding central through-holes (e.g., as shown in FIG. 1). - In the example illustrated in FIG. 2, the
projections 224 are depicted as generally triangularly shaped members spaced circumferentially about theinner disc portion 234. As such, thepad 214 has a generally star-shaped configuration and thus may be referred to herein as a star-pad configuration. It is to be understood and appreciated, however, that there can be any number of projections and that the projections can have any shape. Examples of some alternative arrangements for pad projections, in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention, are shown and described herein with respect to FIGS. 6-8. Additionally, those skilled in the art will understand and appreciate that while the inner and outer edges of theinner disc portion 234 are shown as being substantially circular, other shapes (e.g., elliptical, polygonal, etc.) also could be employed to provide a connector pad in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention. - In the example of FIG. 2, a
conductive trace 270 is connected to thecentral connector pad 214. Theconductive trace 270 is connected to an end of one of theprojections 224 of thepad 214. Thetrace 270 can be formed the same (or different) electrically conductive material as thecentral connector pad 214. Alength 272 of thetrace 270 near the connection to thepad 214 has an increased width relative to aportion 276 of thetrace 270 distal theconnector pad 214. The increased width at 276 of thetrace 270 provides increased line impedance in the wider portion to compensate for the effects of an enlarged non-conductive underlying anti-pad (not shown) located on a different planar layer of the circuit board. As described herein, the anti-pad provides a nonconductive clearance area between a conductive layer and the central through-hole according to one or more aspects of the present invention. - By way of example, the line impedance of the
trace 270 is measured relative to a conductive plane (e.g. a ground or power plane). Since, as will be discussed in greater detail below, the conductive plane can be positioned away from the central through-hole 204 by increasing a clearance area, known as the anti-pad, around the through-hole 214, the width of the line is thus increased to compensate for absence of the ground (or power plane) beneath thetrace 270. For example, to maintain a desired substantially constant line impedance of about a 50 O, the width of thetrace 270 may be increased by a factor of about two (e.g., about two-times as wide) near the connection to thepad 214. - It is to be appreciated that the reduced
radial thickness 244 of theinner disc portion 234 reduces the surface area of thecentral connector pad 214, thus decreasing the capacitance that can develop between thepad 214 and underlying conductive layers (e.g., ground and/or power layers). The added stability provided by the projections also allows the radial thickness of the associated non-conductive anti-pad (not shown), to be enlarged so as to position the conductive material away from the through-hole 204. Thus, at higher frequencies, such as greater than 1 GHz, the connector assembly enables improved electrical performance with desired structural integrity for component mounting. - FIG. 3 illustrates an example of another
layer 300 of a circuit board that includes an anti-pad 302 according to one or more aspects of the present invention. For example, thelayer 300 includes the anti-pad 302 and a co-planar or adjacent layer ofconductive material 306. Thelayer 300 may form an intermediate layer of a circuit board that lies one or more layers beneath thelayer 200 illustrated in FIG. 2. - Similar to the
central connector pad 214 depicted in FIG. 2, the anti-pad 302 circumscribes a central through-hole 304. The anti-pad 302 corresponds to an insulating layer (e.g., of a dielectric material) that separates the conductive material 306 (e.g., power or ground layer) from the central through-hole 304. The anti-pad 302 extends radially outwardly from a location at (or near) the through-hole 304 to an outer radial extent to provide aradial thickness 308. The radial thickness of the anti-pad 302 corresponds to the difference between aninner radius 310 and anouter radius 312 of the anti-pad 302. Those skilled in the art will understand and appreciate that while the inner and outer edges of the anti-pad are shown as being substantially circular, other shapes also could be employed to provide an anti-pad in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. - The
radial thickness 308 of the anti-pad 302 is at least equal to the radial thickness of an overlying central connector pad, including its projections (e.g., thecentral pad 214 of FIG. 2). For example, the anti-pad 302 can have anouter radius 312 between that of the outer extent of projections of an overlying central connector pad up to a radius that intersects with peripheral through-holes 314, which are arranged about the central through-hole 304. - Since the anti-pad302 surrounds the through-
hole 304 at a conductive layer of the circuit board, the anti-pad 302 positions the co-planar conductive material away from an overlying central connector pad according to the radial thickness of the anti-pad. This relationship can be seen better with reference to FIG. 4. The anti-pad 302 is formed of a non-conductive material and, as such, acts as a shield electrically isolating theconductive layer 306 from an overlying central connector pad. In so doing, the anti-pad mitigates capacitive build up between these layers, and does so to a greater degree as itsradial thickness 308 increases. - By way of illustration, in a circuit board, the through-
holes holes holes throughholes - FIG. 4 illustrates a cross sectional side view of part of a
circuit board 400 that includes layers subminiature connector pad assembly corresponding to those depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3 according to one or more aspects of the present invention. Thecircuit board 400 includes a central through-hole 404 and peripheral through-holes 408. Acentral connector pad 410 is disposed atop adielectric layer 412, which itself rests on a conductive layer 416 (e.g., ground or power). Those skilled in the art will understand and appreciate other layers (indicated as an ellipsis) that can be utilized in a circuit board, such as may vary according to the particular application for which the board is to be used. - In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, the
connector pad 410 includesprojections 418 that extend outwardly from an inner disc portion of thepad 410. The inner portion of thecentral connector pad 410 has aradial thickness 420, which is less than the radial thickness of central connector pads of conventional subminiature connector assemblies (e.g., see FIG. 1). - In the example illustrated, the through-
holes board 400, buy may extend to any degree as is necessary to implement the desired functioning of the circuit board and components mounted thereon. A cylindrical body of electrically conductive material extends through the respective through-holes to define a sidewall of the respective holes. The electrically conductive material facilitates electrical connections relative to pins that are inserted into the through-holes. For example, acylindrical sidewall 422 of the central through-hole is formed of an electrically conductive material that extends through the central through-hole 404. Thecylindrical sidewall 422 interconnects theconnector pads 410 at opposite surfaces of theboard 400. Theconnector pads 410 and thesidewall 422 can be formed of an integral piece of the conductive material. - The
board 400 also includes an anti-pad 424 associated with the electricallyconductive layer 416 of the board. The anti-pad 424 electrically insulates the central through-hole 404 and its associatedconductive sidewall 422 from theconductive layer 416. That is, the anti-pad 424 provides a clearance area between the through-hole and theconductive plane 416. In the example shown, theradial thickness 426 of the anti-pad 424 is about equal to or greater than theradial thickness 420 of thecentral connector pad 410. Accordingly, there is no overlap between theconnector pad 410 and theconductive layer 416 axially relative to the board, which reduces the opportunity for capacitance to develop between thepad 410 andconductive layer 416. - FIG. 5 illustrates another cross sectional side view of part of a
circuit board 500 configured according to one or more aspects of the present invention. The illustrated portion of the connector pad assembly in FIG. 5 is substantially similar to that of FIG. 4, with identical reference numbers increased by adding 100 being used to refer to parts of the circuit board previously identified with respect to FIG. 4. In the example of FIG. 5, theradial thickness 526 of the anti-pad 524 is shown as being larger than the anti-pad 424 of FIG. 4. In particular, the anti-pad 524 extends generally from the central through-hole 504 radially to a location near a peripheral through-hole 508. The increased thickness provides increased electrical isolation between the associated ground orpower plane 516 and thecentral connector pad 510, thereby further mitigating capacitance between theconnector pad 510 and theconductive plane 516. This arrangement further separates theconductive plane 516 from the central throughhole 504. - FIG. 6 illustrates an alternative example of a subminiature
connector pad assembly 600 in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. In this example, acentral connector pad 602 includes a plurality of generallytriangular projections inner disc portion 608 of the central connector pad. Some of thetriangular projections projections 604 are shorter, whileother projections 606 are relatively thinner and longer (e.g., when compared relative to those illustrated in FIG. 2). Thus, it is to be appreciated that the projections of aconnector pad 602 need not be of a constant length of width. Nevertheless, theprojections central connector pad 602 for component mounting and allow theinner disc portion 608 to have a smaller radial thickness, indicated at 610, than that of conventional central connector pads (e.g., see FIG. 1). - An underlying anti-pad612 (shown in phantom) also has a radial thickness that is larger than that of anti-pads underlying conventional subminiature connector assemblies. In view of the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the
connector pad assembly 600 can be integrated into a circuit board to establish electrical connections and component mountings thereto. The configuration of theconnector pad 602 further provides a reduced surface area to facilitate separating associated conductive layers, thereby mitigating capacitive effects FIG. 7 illustrates another example of a subminiatureconnector pad assembly 700 that can be integrated into a circuit board to establish electrical connections and component mountings thereto in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention. In this example, theassembly 700 includes a connector pad 702 having a plurality ofprojections 704 extending radially from aninner disc portion 706 of the central connector pad. Theprojections 704 are generally trapezoidal, having an increased width at the end connecting at theinner disc portion 706 and tapering to a reduced width at an end spaced radially from the inner disc portion. It is to be appreciated that the projections can have any configuration and could have rounded rather than pointed corners, for example. Theprojections 704 reinforce the central connector pad 702 allowing theinner disc portion 706 to have a smaller radial thickness 708 than that of conventional central connector pads (e.g., see FIG. 1). An underlying anti-pad 710 (shown in phantom) also has a radial thickness that is larger than that of anti-pads underlying conventional subminiature connector assemblies. These features reduce the surface area of and separate conductive layers and thereby mitigate capacitive effects, as described herein. - FIG. 8 illustrates yet another example of a
subminiature connector assembly 800 that can be integrated into a circuit board to establish electrical connections and component mountings thereto according to one or more aspects of the present invention. In this example, theassembly 800 includes acentral connector pad 802 havingprojections 804 extending radially from aninner disc portion 806 of the central pad. Theprojections 806 have a generally rectangular configuration. - Those skilled in the art will understand and appreciate that the
radial projections 804 extending from thecentral connector pad 802 help stabilize thepad 802 and the associated central through-hole 808 relative to the circuit board. This enables aradial thickness 810 of thepad 802 to be reduced (e.g., from that of conventional pads) while maintaining structural integrity of the pad and through-hole 808. The reduced thickness of theinner disc portion 806 of thepad 802 decreases the surface area of overlapping conductive plates (e.g., the central pad and the ground or power layer), which provides a corresponding reduction in the capacitance between the pad and the associated conductive layer. The increased stability afforded by theprojections 804 also allows the thickness of the anti-pad 812 (shown in phantom) to be increased. The increasedthickness 810 of the anti-pad 812 further isolates the ground or power plane from the central pad 814 thereby further mitigating capacitive effects. - FIGS. 9 and 10 are graphs illustrating impedance (which is a function of capacitance) along respective traces of a circuit board that connect to connector pads of different subminiature connector assemblies. In particular, the
graph 900 in FIG. 9 represents impedance (y-axis) relative to time (x-axis) as a signal moves along a trace connected to a conventional subminiature connector assembly. Aspike 902 in the plotted signal near the middle of the graph corresponds to an increase in capacitance between the connector pad and an associated ground plane. - FIG. 10 illustrates a
signal response 1000 for a trace on a circuit board that is coupled to a subminiature connector pad according to one or more aspects of the present invention. That is, the signal response depicted in FIG. 10 depicts the impedance along a trace coupled to a connector assembly having central connector pad with a reduced radial thickness and triangular projections, such as illustrated in FIG. 2. A comparison between the signal responses of FIGS. 9 and 10 demonstrates that change in the signal (e.g., capacitance) resulting from the interconnection between the trace and connector assembly according to an aspect of the present invention (FIG. 10) is less severe than that for the conventional assembly (FIG. 9). Thus, those skilled in the art will understand and appreciated that use of a subminiature connector assembly in accordance with an aspect of the present invention provides reduced capacitance and, in turn, enables improved circuit performance. It further will be appreciated that such benefits become more pronounced at signal frequencies above 1 GHZ, which are commonly used in conjunction with SMA, SMB, SMC as well as other types of connectors. - What has been described above includes examples of the present invention. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the present invention, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the present invention are possible. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For instance, it is to be appreciated that while four vias have been depicted as surrounding a central via, any number of through-holes may be included on a subminiature connector in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention. Likewise, pads with projections may be utilized with other types of connectors, on both sides of a circuit board and/or on any connection layers to enhance stability and mitigate capacitance. The present invention can be utilized with layers that can be repeated and/or have various orders depending upon the configuration and layout of the board to achieve desired results.
Claims (23)
1. A connector pad for a printed circuit board, comprising:
an inner pad portion dimensioned and configured to circumscribe a through-hole of the circuit board; and
a plurality of projections extending outwardly from the inner pad portion to help stabilize the connector pad and the through-hole.
2. The connector pad of claim 1 , the inner pad portion comprising a generally annular disc portion, an inner radial edge of the disc portion approximating the through-hole.
3. The connector pad of claim 2 , the inner disc portion having a reduced radial thickness defined by the difference between an inner radius of the inner disc portion and an outer radius of the inner disc portion, the reduced radial thickness being facilitated by the projections.
4. The connector pad of claim 1 in combination with the printed circuit board, such that the through-hole extends through at least a portion of the circuit board, the combination further comprising:
a conductive layer that includes a non-conductive anti-pad circumscribing the through-hole to radially separate a conductive material thereof from the through-hole a distance defined by a radial thickness of the anti-pad.
5. The combination of claim 4 , the anti-pad having an inner radial edge that approximates the through-hole, an outer edge of the anti-pad being spaced radially from the through-hole by a distance that is at least equal to a distance between an outer radial end portion of the projections and the through-hole, such that there is generally no overlap between the connector pad and the conductive material, thereby mitigating capacitance between the connector pad and the conductive material of the conductive layer.
6. The combination of claim 5 , the outer edge of the anti-pad being spaced radially from the through-hole by a distance that is greater than the distance between the outer radial end portion of the projections and the through-hole, such that there is generally no overlap between the connector pad and the conductive material, thereby mitigating capacitance between the connector pad and the conductive material of the conductive layer.
7. The connector pad of claim 6 , the increased radial thickness of the anti-pad reducing the proximity of the conductive material from the connector pad so as to mitigate capacitance build up between the connector pad and the conductive material of the conductive layer.
8. The combination of claim 4 , the though-hole defining a first through-hole and the connector pad defining a first connector pad, the combination further comprising at least one second through-hole spaced from the first through-hole, a second connector pad being associated with the second through-hole and being generally coplanar with the first connector pad, the radial thickness of the first connector pad having radial thickness that is less than the second connector pad.
9. The combination of claim 8 , the anti-pad having an inner edge that approximates the first through-hole and an outer edge spaced radially from the first through-hole to a location near the second through hole, such that there is no overlap between the connector pad and the conductive material, thereby mitigating capacitance between the connector pad and the conductive material.
10. The combination of claim 4 , the anti-pad comprising a dielectric material.
11. The connector pad of claim 1 , the projections further comprising triangularly shaped projections extending outwardly from the annular pad portion in a generally circular array about the through-hole.
12. The connector pad of claim 1 , the projections having a substantially trapezoidal configuration.
13. The connector pad of claim 1 , at least two of the projections having at least one of different dimensions and configurations.
14. A connector pad assembly for a printed circuit board comprising:
a central connector pad circumscribing a central through-hole on the circuit board and having a plurality of projections extending from a generally annular inner pad portion of the central connector pad; and
at least one other connector pad spaced apart from the central connector pad and circumscribing a different associated through-hole, the at least one other connector pad having a radial thickness that is greater than that of the inner pad portion of the central connector pad.
15. The connector pad assembly of claim 14 , further comprising a plurality of the other connector pads circumscribing associated through-holes, each of the plurality of the other connector pads having a radial thickness that is greater than the radial thickness of the annular inner disc portion of the central connector pad.
16. The connector pad assembly of claim 14 implemented in a circuit board as a pad layer of the circuit board, the circuit board further comprising:
a conductive layer spaced apart axially in the board apart from the pad layer by an insulating material, the conductive layer comprising a ground or power plane spaced apart from the central through-hole by a non-conductive clearance area that defines an anti-pad, the anti-pad being dimensioned and configured to mitigate overlap between the central connector pad and the ground or power plane.
17. The circuit board of claim 16 , the anti-pad and the insulating material comprising a dielectric material.
18. A printed circuit board, comprising:
a connector pad assembly including a connector pad circumscribing a central through-hole on the circuit board, a plurality of projections extending radially from the connector pad, the plurality of projections stabilizing the connector pad and the through hole such that a radial thickness of an inner portion of the connector pad is reduced relative to that of at least one other generally coplanar connector pad;
a conductive layer situated in a different layer of the circuit board spaced apart from the connector pad assembly, the conductive layer including conductive material and a non-conductive anti-pad, the anti-pad circumscribing the through-hole to separate the through-hole from the conductive material; and
a non-conductive layer interposed between the conductive layer and the layer in which the connector pad assembly is situated.
19. The circuit board of claim 18 , the capacitance between the connector pad and conductive material being functionally related to a radial thickness of the inner portion of the connector pad and a radial thickness of the anti-pad.
20. The circuit board of claim 19 , the conductive material corresponding to a power or ground plane of the circuit board.
21. The circuit board of claim 18 , the non-conductive layer and anti-pad further comprising a dielectric material.
22. The circuit board of claim 18 , the connector pad assembly defining a pad assembly for a subminiature connector, the connector defining a central connector pad and the at least one other generally coplanar connector pad comprising a plurality of connector pads spaced from and arranged around the central connector pad, the plurality of connector pads being associated with respective through-holes of the circuit board.
23. A connector pad assembly for a printed circuit board comprising:
first electrically conductive pad means for surrounding a through-hole dimensioned and configured to receive part of an electrical component, the pad means further comprising means for stabilizing the through-hole and the pad means; and
at least one second pad means for surrounding a different through-hole dimensioned and configured to receive part of the electrical component, the at least one second pad means having a radial thickness that is greater than an inner part of the pad means that surrounds the respective through-hole.
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US10/135,132 US6828513B2 (en) | 2002-04-30 | 2002-04-30 | Electrical connector pad assembly for printed circuit board |
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